Top 5 Things To Do In Kepulauan Seribu, Jakarta’s Pretty Archipelago

1. Go out to the sea and fish!

Especially for the people of Jakarta or tourists who have spent days or weeks in Jakarta, who can resist fishing and sunset viewing from a boat in the middle of the sea, away from those skyscrapers, air pollution and jammed traffic? The Java Sea, like other waters in Southeast Asia, has abundant sources of food, and there are many mackerels, tuna and red snappers living in the water.

You need to go to a tour organizer and buy a fishing package. If you buy the package from an organizer named Antasena Wisata it will cost 2,850,000 IDR (217.39 USD) for the boat rental, where the boat can take up to 15 passengers. The price includes drinking water, as well as fishing bait and equipment. On the boat, there is a boat driver and some staff who will help you with the fishing and cook some of the fish you catch for your meal!

2. Dive, snorkel and swim

There are many diving spots in the small archipelago and, surprisingly, the water is rich with underwater life, including some corals and fish that some people keep as their pets, such as the orange and stripy small clownfish and the yellowish foxface rabbitfish, which has a pointed mouth.

To be able to snorkel or dive in the sea, you need to take one of the packages from a travel organizer like Mazu Diver. During the diving activities, you will be accompanied by certified divers, and many of the packages include accommodation and meals, with the costs ranging from 1,300,000 IDR (99.16 USD) to 1,700,000 IDR (129.67 USD).

Diving is a fun activity, and it would be a pity if you miss the world’s underwater beauty simply because you’ve never learned to dive before! This organizer also offers diving classes for beginners, including a dive certificate and scuba diving equipment (for example mask, fin etc.). It costs 4,500,000 IDR (343.25 USD) for the dive-learning package.

3. Ride a bike in Pari Island

When was the last time you rode a bike? Isn’t it a good idea if you can do it somewhere away from the city in a much more natural environment? Like on the small roads of Pari Island, one of the islands that is a 2-hour boat ride from Jakarta City?

You may wonder if you need to buy a bike in Jakarta and bring it to the island. Well, you can simply book a tour package to Pari Island where, besides snorkeling, the package includes riding a bike inside the island. From Pantai Perawan (Virgin Beach), you will ride throughout the island for 2 hours and, although this is a small island with the diameter of only several kilometers, or miles, for most of the time you will be riding under tall green trees and rarely see the sea.

It costs 360,000 IDR (27.40 USD) per person if you buy a tour package from an organizer named Jalaner, where the price also includes meals and a one-night stay at a local person’s house.

4. See underwater life at Putri Island

Do you want to see the underwater biodiversity in Pulau Seribu but don’t like getting wet? If so, you need to take a tour package to Putri (Princess) Island, which takes about 90 minutes from Jakarta by boat.

There is an underwater tunnel, which is 5 meters (16.4 feet) deep and 20 meters (65.6 feet) long, where you will get to see the corals and fish from inside the glass tunnel. You will also ride on a glass-bottomed boat, which can take up to 50 passengers, where you can see the sea life from the glass floor of the cabin.

It costs 850,000 IDR (64.84 USD) per person for a Princess Island Tour organized by Sheila Tour, where, besides the aquarium experience, you will also get lunch and a chance to join the sunset cruise around the island in the evening before heading back to Jakarta.

5. Witness some of the Dutch heritage on the islands

Indonesia was a Dutch colony for centuries (from the 17th to the 20th century) and traces of Dutch heritage can be found on some of the islands, including a Martello-style fortress on Kelor Island.

This middle-aged European round fortress was built to protect the capital city of Batavia (now Jakarta) from any attacks from the sea. The other 2 fortresses were located on the islands of Onrust and Bidadari (Angel), but they were severely damaged due to the eruption of Mount Krakatoa in the 19th century; now only rubble can be found on the 2 islands.

It only costs 400,000 IDR (30.51 USD) per person for a tour package to these islands, organized by Venus Marine Tour, where the activities include riding a banana boat on the water around Bidadari Island.